Elmo Reminds Us of the Importance of Checking In

Earlier this year, our beloved friend Elmo went to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) and asked a simple question: "How is everybody doing?" The response was overwhelming, and perhaps not as positive as Elmo may have been hoping. However, Elmo is always helping us learn, and this reminds us of the importance of addressing the mental health of patients and their families.

Sesame Street's Muppet, Elmo

Less than two days later, Elmo posted, “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked. Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.” 

And we expect Elmo would say, “Wow, Roadmap! Elmo will be glad clinicians are asking patients and families how they are doing!”  

The Roadmap video resource "How are you doing?" offers an introduction to the reason “why” The Roadmap Project is so needed. It highlights the impact of chronic conditions on emotional health. The power of addressing emotional health can truly make a difference in patient, parent, and family outcomes.

Join us in supporting conversations about emotional health during each clinical encounter. We encourage you to visit The Roadmap Project website for resources that will help you understand the importance and feasibility of fostering emotional health among pediatric patients with chronic conditions and their families.

Below are a few resources to get you started:

• How Are You Doing?
• A Patient Shares How Clinicians Can Empower Patients by Asking About Emotional Health
• Using Dr. Erica Sood's Normalize-Ask-Pause-Connect technique to start the conversation.
• Addressing the Impact of Being Black on Living with a Chronic Condition

Having these conversations early and often helps validate the feelings of patients and families, can identify early signs of distress, and can connect families with available support.

On the Road with Roadmap: Upcoming Events

Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) 2024 Annual Spring Meeting

April 16-19

Chicago, IL

• Using quality improvement to address emotional health in children with chronic conditions and their families.

Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting 2024

May 2-6

Toronto, CA

• Using quality improvement to successfully integrate the assessment of emotional health of children with chronic conditions & their families into practice: The ABP Roadmap Project MOC Part 4 Activity

Spring 2024 Virtual Roadmap Collaborative Learning Session

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

• For those teams participating in the current Roadmap Collaborative.

For more information, visit our website or email us.

The Roadmap Project is made possible with support from the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation and the David R. Clare and Margaret C. Clare Foundation.